It's time for a break, time for music! Today my husband took his clarinet and a book of Christmas carols to work, in order to put his colleagues in a festive frame of mind. Yesterday my daughter and her colleagues / friends put on a concert at the National Physical Laboratories in London. Emma, who launched this choir herself, sent us a copy of their programme:
Christmas Concert
Thursday 18th December 2008 at 12:30 pm in the Lecture Theatre, Module 16
Ding Dong! Merrily on High, 16th C. French, arr. Charles Wood, words by G. R. Woodward. The December 2008 edition of the BBC Music Magazine features a list of the "50 greatest carols as voted by the world's finest choirmasters". Ding Dong Merrily on High comes in at a respectable no 35. If you haven't heard enough of this tune by the end of the third chorus, you can always get an extra fix at www.npl.co.uk/christmas.
Concord, Benjamin Britten (1913 – 1976), words by William Plomer. From the opera Gloriana, originally written to celebrate the coronation of Elizabeth II.
It came upon the midnight clear. Trad. English, arr. Arthur Sullivan, words by E.H. Sears. This well known carol came 40th in the BBC's poll.
Adew Sweet Amaryllis, John Wilbye (1574 – 1638), Anon, after the Italian of Battista Guarini (1538 – 1612). The heyday of English madrigal writing was a brief but intense period around the ends of the 16th Century and the reign of Elizabeth I. Madrigals are unaccompanied secular songs, usually in three to six parts. This example is considered one of the most refined and superbly crafted of all English madrigals.
Sussex Carol. Trad. English, arr. David Willcocks, “Homage to R.V.W.” Occupying a lofty 12th position in the top 50, this is a truly traditional carol. The words were first published in 1684. This English folk tune was collected, by Cecil Sharp and also by Ralph Vaughn Williams in 1919. The latter heard it sung by Mrs Harriet Verrall of Monk's Gate in Sussex, hence the title.
Concerto in G major for four recorders. Georg Philipp Telemann, arr. Markus Zahnhausen. One of the most prolific composers of all time, G P Telemann (1681 – 1767) was far more famous, during his lifetime, than his contemporary and compatriot J S Bach – a dictionary of the time afforded him four times as much space as it did Bach! His contribution to the recorder repertoire is extensive, some of the most beautiful, and frequently stolen by flautists. We offer two movements as a sample.
Czárdás. Vittorio Monti, arr. Joris van Goethem. Even if the title and the composer don't sound familiar, the tune will. A Csárdás is a type of Hungarian dance that was in vogue in the latter half of the 19th century. This particular one was written by the Italian violinist Monti (1868 – 1922) in about 1904.
On the trail of the Pink Panther. Henry Mancini, arr. Paul Leenhouts. This flamboyant arrangement of a familiar theme was written for the Amsterdam Loeki Stardust Quartet, by one of its members, and requires a Great Bass Recorder. Believe it or not, recorders do get bigger than this - a lot bigger!
Torches. John Joubert, Galician, trans. J.B. Trend. A rousing modern carol to be sung with gusto.
In Dulci Jubilo. Old German tune, arr. R. L. Pearsall, edited and adapted by Reginald Jacques. As if to prove our good taste, this version of In Dulci Jubilo was voted no. 2 (beaten only by the lesser known version of In the Bleak Midwinter). This tune has survived the tests of time, first appearing in manuscripts around the year 1400, it may actually be even older. In more recent times the tune has remained popular but is perhaps best known in the form of Mike Oldfield's 1975 hit. The words are a mixture of Latin and English, the latter translated by Pearsall from the original medieval German dialect.
A Merry Christmas. Trad. West Country carol, arr. Arthur Warrell, “To Geffrey Shaw”. This Carol is 16th C. English traditional.
Did anyone bring us some figgy pudding? We won't go until we've got some!
Future lunchtime concerts, at 12:45 in the Scientific Museum, Bushy House
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